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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24054538">Book Baits and Reptilian Riddles</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/yozra/pseuds/yozra'>yozra</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Character(s), Blind Date, Fluff and Humor, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:47:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,083</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24054538</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/yozra/pseuds/yozra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Akaashi's date is twenty minutes late, and he gets chatting to a stranger waiting next to him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Iwaizumi Hajime</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>189</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Book Baits and Reptilian Riddles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/yikescaninot/gifts">yikescaninot</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wasn't going to write any more IwaAka. I was going to finish my current IwaAka, and then move onto BokuAka, but then I commissioned <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/yikescaninot/">yikescaninot</a> to draw <a href="https://twitter.com/drwngablnk/status/1265134166024155137?s=21">Akaashi and Iwaizumi</a>, and I said, 'Make them look like they're waiting on a date, and they're actually waiting for each other, but they don't realise!' Then I was shown some sketches, and this story immediately came into fruition.</p><p>Thank you so much, Ash, for the two adorable drawings♡</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Akaashi started reaching round for his messenger bag, thought better of it, and abandoned the move in favour of stuffing his hands firmly into his pockets so he wouldn’t be tempted to try again. There was a reason he had pushed his phone deep into his bag: he had spent the last five minutes turning the screen on and off, punching the button like he would a tally counter to record how many people were walking through the ticket gates of a volleyball match.<br/>
<br/>
His date was twenty minutes late. And with each minute (which stretched out for five – or so it felt like) he edited and reshuffled his mental list of reasons on why his date was late, and perfected the short speech he would likely be giving, expressly stating why he would no longer be participating in their date.<br/>
<br/>
“Sorry!”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi automatically looked right to find a young man – a university student guessing by his age – rushing up to the young lady who had been waiting next to Akaashi for the last ten minutes. She told him off for being late in that pretend, high-pitched whine, the young man apologised some more, and the two walked away, hand in hand, to wherever it was they were planning to go. Probably lunch, as it was almost eleven-thirty.<br/>
<br/>
A few seconds and the empty space beside him became occupied by another man with a few extra lines around his mouth and speckled black hair. Akaashi entertained the idea of whether this man could potentially be his date; judging by his attire of a suit and briefcase, highly doubtful.<br/>
<br/>
“Sorry, can I ask you something?”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi glanced to his left, first at the wood deck staircase leading upstairs to a cafe, then down at the man newly seated on the lower steps. The cafe was closed still, he hadn’t noticed any creaks or thunks going up and down, but it would likely open soon; he thought the man was being slightly inconsiderate sitting where people would soon be walking – all the more reason to cancel if this man did turn out to be his blind date.<br/>
<br/>
A shame, Akaashi thought, giving the man a quick once-over. From appearances alone, he was very much his type.<br/>
<br/>
But he was getting ahead of himself.<br/>
<br/>
“Yes?” Akaashi replied.<br/>
<br/>
“That key chain you’ve got on your bag, is that limited edition?”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi looked down at the bulky piece of acrylic hanging from the hoop as of yesterday, courtesy of Bokuto who had put it on as a ‘good luck charm’. Although Akaashi wouldn’t call himself a fan of the characters or their movies (if he had seen one, he didn’t remember, and had no idea what the moth was called), he had allowed Bokuto to attach it, appreciating the gesture. And he couldn’t deny it added character to the simple brown bag (and would be willing to admit he found the proud little grin on its face charming.)<br/>
<br/>
“I was told it was custom made, so in that sense I would classify it as limited edition, yes.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s really neat,” the man said, his eyes not leaving the key chain, looking almost… envious. “Do you know where it was made?”<br/>
<br/>
“Unfortunately, no. A friend gave it to me.”<br/>
<br/>
The man nodded and ‘ah’ed and in understanding (and disappointment?). “Well – thanks. I’ll try and look for it.”<br/>
<br/>
With that, he turned on the phone in his hand – the lock screen appeared with the same character as the strap on Akaashi’s bag – and started typing. Akaashi looked away; peering over other people’s shoulders and prying into their digital activities was not something he made a habit of doing, even if he was now curious about the origin of his present.<br/>
<br/>
Instead, he dug out his own phone (five minutes had actually passed this time) and checked for messages—<br/>
<br/>
None.<br/>
<br/>
He had messaged Bokuto a few times, but they all went unread. He scrolled up once more to check the speech bubble describing his date and realised how useless the information was. The ‘great taste in fashion!!’ may have helped, if their tastes in fashion didn’t veer in different directions.<br/>
<br/>
With a quick glance, he checked out the man’s clothes – a loose-fitting plaid shirt, its colours reminding him of moss-coated trees found in woods, a pair of navy jeans with the hems rolled to a perfect resting point on his leather shoes. If this man was to be his blind date, then perhaps Bokuto had described him with Akaashi’s tastes in mind.<br/>
<br/>
Still, Akaashi resigned to the fact that he would have to ask this one The Question, in the same way he had asked the three (failed) potentials before him.<br/>
<br/>
“Excuse me,” Akaashi said loudly at the man, who lifted his head and glanced over his shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah?”<br/>
<br/>
“This is going to come across as an odd question, but – you wouldn’t happen to own any reptiles, would you?”<br/>
<br/>
There was a pause where his gaze wandered as he digested the question, before returning to Akaashi.<br/>
<br/>
“Like… a lizard?”<br/>
<br/>
“Lizards, or newts. Turtles. Snakes. Any animal considered to be a reptile.”<br/>
<br/>
Another pause; Akaashi had a feeling he knew what the answer would be—<br/>
<br/>
“No. Sorry.”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi bottled his sigh. “Thank—”<br/>
<br/>
“Why do you ask?”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi hesitated; he was expecting to be looked at strangely, like he had been three times, not to be asked a follow-up question. He debated between sharing the truth, telling a lie, and brushing the question aside.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m currently waiting for a person who apparently owns some reptiles,” Akaashi replied. The man had asked as though he was genuinely interested, and he decided he deserved a real answer. “As the only description I have appearance-wise is them being a man roughly my age, this piece of information about the reptiles is the only one unusual enough for me to narrow down my search to who will hopefully be that person.”<br/>
<br/>
“He sounds like an interesting guy.”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi glanced down at his phone to check Bokuto’s message to confirm the details, even though he had committed them to memory. “He apparently owns some beetles and moths as well.”<br/>
<br/>
“Damn, now I want to meet him,” the man said, and it was now his tone tainted with envy. “It’s not everyday you come across someone who owns pet bugs and reptiles.”<br/>
<br/>
“You’re very welcome to question him, I have no intention of spending any time with him except for the minute it will take for me to explain why I won’t be spending the day in his company.”<br/>
<br/>
The man raised his eyebrows. “You can tell me to mind my own business, but… why?”<br/>
<br/>
“Because he’s” – Akaashi checked the time on his phone – “exactly half an hour late.”<br/>
<br/>
“Ouch,” he said, pulling a pained expression. “You’ve been waiting that long? You’ve got more patience than me, I’d have given him ten minutes.” He checked his watch. “Ten minutes starting now,” he muttered to himself, though it was just within earshot.<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi also checked his messages one final time – no response – and he turned it off.<br/>
<br/>
“How much longer are you going to wait?” the man asked, continuing the conversation as he put his phone into his pocket. Akaashi wondered whether he should keep the small talk running, weighed the odds of the man prying against him biding his time – Akaashi settled on the latter.<br/>
<br/>
“Another half an hour to make it a full hour. If he arrives before then, unless he gives an extremely good reason or makes a convincing argument, I’ll reject the date—”<br/>
<br/>
The man’s head whipped round, and Akaashi realised too late the rogue word slipping itself into the sentence.<br/>
<br/>
“If not, I’ll have my friend relay a message,” he finished quickly and then looked aside so he wouldn’t analyse the man’s expressions. It must be the nerves loosening his tongue.<br/>
<br/>
“What other descriptions were you given?”<br/>
<br/>
At the man’s tone changing from casual curiosity to a purposeful dig for more, Akaashi glanced over – meeting an intensified stare.<br/>
<br/>
He may as well test the man by throwing him in the deep end.<br/>
<br/>
“‘Cute’ with a ‘great taste in fashion’.”<br/>
<br/>
Rubbing his chin, the man said, “Not much to go on. But at least you’ve got the reptiles…” The sentence hung, lingering on the with the pause, and the man picked it up again when he said, “That’s a lot more precise than what I was given for my guy.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh?” Now Akaashi’s interest was piqued. “Are you meeting someone for the first time?”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s supposed to be a date,” the man said, almost deliberately slow and clear, and Akaashi, though he knew he shouldn’t be reacting to that word when the man was ruled firmly off the list, couldn’t do anything to keep his heart from beating a little faster. “Don’t even know how old he is, I was just told that we should go to a lunch buffet and read up on some recent releases.”<br/>
<br/>
“For films?” Akaashi asked; his excitement dipped.<br/>
<br/>
“Books.” Akaashi’s excitement spiked. “Fiction, maybe, I don’t know. All I know is he likes reading.”<br/>
<br/>
Reading – a popular pastime, and a broad term that could be referring to anything – fiction, non-fiction, magazines, comics, articles, news – even advertisement, although that would refer to an extremely specific group of people.<br/>
<br/>
It was Akaashi’s favourite pastime, too.<br/>
<br/>
What were the chances of meeting a man waiting next to him, at the same station, for a blind date with a person who also happened to be a man and enjoyed reading… like him? Improbably slim – unless, of course, it had been designed.<br/>
<br/>
But the detail about the reptiles didn’t align, along with the different meeting times, and – judging by the man’s powerful structure – the ‘cute’, so Akaashi stopped his mind from rushing ahead.<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t you like to read?” Akaashi asked, keeping his tone level.<br/>
<br/>
“Hey, I read,” the man said defensively. “I read manga, and I read articles, and I’ll read a magazine or two if it’s on a subject I like.”<br/>
<br/>
“I think they’re all acceptable reading material,” Akaashi agreed. The man relaxed his shoulders and Akaashi tried not to smile at the man’s display of nervous tension. Even someone who appeared levelheaded fretted over a blind date. “If you’re interested, I can inform you about current releases, I like to keep up to date. What genres do you enjoy most?”<br/>
<br/>
The man looked like he might take him up on the offer, and – he shook his head, betraying Akaashi’s expectations at the last second. “No point trying to impress someone with a lie. If he doesn’t like me the way I am, we’re not meant to be.”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi commended him on standing his ground. “I agree, it would be pointless if you weren’t true to yourself, and would only create disappointment when the other party eventually found out. I hope then that he’s a good match in all other aspects.”<br/>
<br/>
“Only if he arrives within” – the man checked his watch – “the next seven minutes.”<br/>
<br/>
“Ah, yes. Don’t you have a way to get in touch?”<br/>
<br/>
The man shook his head. “My friend didn’t give me much to go on and said the date would come find me. Kind of regretting opening my big mouth and creating this though – especially when I’m not a fan of surprises.”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi raised his eyebrows with a questioning look that hopefully conveyed that he would like him to elaborate, at the same time as the man looked to him to gauge his reaction.<br/>
<br/>
“I – uh – had a couple too many to drink and ended up gushing my heart out about how I wanted to meet someone,” he confessed, ruffling his hair; Akaashi almost smiled.<br/>
<br/>
“So the opposite to me,” Akaashi also shared, so they were on equal footing.<br/>
<br/>
The man slowly lowered his hand. “…Yeah?”<br/>
<br/>
“My friend – the same friend who gave me this key chain, actually – was concerned for my well-being and continued asking until I said yes.”<br/>
<br/>
The man frowned. “Sounds like you need to get yourself a new friend if he’s that pushy.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh no – he has my best interests at heart. I only kept refusing because I didn’t think I’d be able to make time when work demands most of my attention. He pointed out that when I looked back on my life, I would find that I had accomplished nothing except regret. His point is fair, if a little exaggerated.”<br/>
<br/>
“So you’re a bit of a workaholic?” The man teased.<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi sighed, an image of the stack of papers awaiting him on Monday morning coming to mind. “Point me in the direction of anyone living or working in this city who isn’t.”<br/>
<br/>
The man snorted. “You’re right.” Another glance at his watch. “Four minutes. Maybe if neither of our dates show up, we should grab some lunch together.”<br/>
<br/>
“Or if my date shows up, and yours doesn’t, you can ‘grab some lunch’ with him.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’d rather go with you.”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi looked at him in surprise. The man’s eyes widened like his words just registered and he tried laughing it off, embarrassed. “You know. Because he can’t arrive on time.”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi didn’t know how to reply to that except with a weak smile, and their conversation fell flat, squashed into the ground by heavy silence. The man twisted round to look over the other side of the railing, his back to Akaashi, and Akaashi responded in the same manner, observing how waiting spots were seamlessly exchanged between those leaving and those arriving, in between those rooted themselves, either chatting in their groups or glancing up from their phones before looking down again, sometimes with increasing frequency.<br/>
<br/>
And Akaashi, he was dealing with a new dilemma. Should his blind date now arrive with a forgivable excuse, would he want to leave? He should, because Bokuto had taken the time to set Akaashi up with him, and rejecting this date would be disrespectful (even though he knew that Bokuto would tell him to follow his heart than do what he thought was ‘right’). He could lie and say that he had zero tolerance for tardiness… which wouldn’t explain why he had been waiting for so long.<br/>
<br/>
Why was it that one would go about their lives without any options and then multiple appeared at the same time?<br/>
<br/>
“Hypothetically,” the man began once more (and Akaashi, though he didn’t turn around, had great interest in what he had to say), “what do you think about… that?”<br/>
<br/>
“About… lunch, with you?”<br/>
<br/>
“About… a date, with me.”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi glanced over his shoulder – the man was also glancing over his, wearing a small grin to try to lighten his correction into a joke, except his gaze was boring into him, demanding a sincere answer.<br/>
<br/>
“I…” Akaashi released a shaky laugh, the silent pressure pushing him into the corner of his mind where there was only blank until – a thought, raw and impulsive, popped up; he rubbed the back of his head.<br/>
<br/>
“I would like that.”<br/>
<br/>
The man glanced at his watch, then pulled out his phone, showing to Akaashi the bright white digits against a backdrop of fire and coal—<br/>
<br/>
Eleven-forty.<br/>
<br/>
“My ten minutes are up. Are you going to wait another twenty?”<br/>
<br/>
It would be easy to say no and leave – with him.<br/>
<br/>
But Akaashi owed it to Bokuto to wait for his friend a while longer – an hour, that’s what he usually gave people – and he shouldn’t change his policy because of a random stranger, no matter how strong a desire he had.<br/>
<br/>
“I plan on doing so, yes,” Akaashi said quietly. If the man left, it wasn’t meant to be – and he persuaded himself to believe it.<br/>
<br/>
“Then… maybe I should take a leaf out of your book and try being patient for once,” the man said, his back to Akaashi, his expression hidden. “Trains could be running late after all.”<br/>
<br/>
“This is why one should take an earlier train,” Akaashi automatically changed his tone to practical. “To avoid any misunderstandings.”<br/>
<br/>
This change drew the man back. “So how long were you waiting before your meeting time?”<br/>
<br/>
“…Half an hour.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s dedication.”<br/>
<br/>
“I like to make an effort, regardless of whether or not it goes unnoticed.”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s not going unnoticed.” It was a casually thrown remark, striking him hard in his chest.<br/>
<br/>
Time began to drag again for an entirely different reason. Akaashi was hoping his date wouldn’t arrive. That he would be late, and Akaashi could have lunch with this man here, who stuck to his own principles (which, similarly to him, seemed pragmatically thought out, and Akaashi was drawn to that), and who liked monster characters (which Akaashi couldn’t understand, but it was cute how the man was, and he was drawn to <em>that</em>) (and wasn’t it funny that ‘cute’ was an odd but fitting word to describe him), and—<br/>
<br/>
“I’m so sorry I’m late!”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi’s gaze snapped up at the low voice, finding—<br/>
<br/>
A man who might be around his age, with a multi-coloured gecko on his bag bouncing with his steps as he bounded straight for Akaashi—<br/>
<br/>
And stopped short at the group of friends huddled nearby; Akaashi released the breath he didn’t know he had been holding.<br/>
<br/>
“You sound relieved.”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi turned to his conversation partner, and he thought he saw amusement ghosting the very straight line of his lips. “Relieved or not, I’m determined to wait out the last fifteen-or-so minutes.”<br/>
<br/>
“Is there anything I can say to make you leave earlier?”<br/>
<br/>
It sounded like a challenge. Akaashi could feel the tug on his own lips, and he licked them instead to stop that urge and smooth the phantom feeling over. “You’re most certainly welcome to try, though I’m quite set on my decision.” And to make his point, he deliberately turned away to watch people stream in and out of the station.<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe I’ll take you up on your offer of helping me pick out a book,” he heard the man attempt. “There’s a bookstore over there, do want to go check it out?”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m afraid you’ll need to try harder than cheap pickup lines—”<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll repay you for your time in books—”<br/>
<br/>
“Resorting to bribery I see, proving not only your lack of creativity but also your desperation, and that you would lower your standards in order to achieve what you want—”<br/>
<br/>
“That was me testing you. Now I’m going to ask for real.”<br/>
<br/>
With his back turned, Akaashi was free to smile; his heart was jittery and thumping loud, and he was thoroughly enjoying this rally.<br/>
<br/>
“How about we take the train to that stop with the second-hand books – it’s called Book Town, right? I’m not originally from Tokyo and that’s one of the places I haven’t been to yet – not because I don’t want to go, I <em>know</em> I’m going to find old film pamphlets and art books I like – but… I get this weird feeling that it’s aimed for people who know their stuff, not for someone completely clueless like me. So I’d really appreciate a guide.”<br/>
<br/>
Honest and unafraid to show his vulnerability – every word melted Akaashi’s resolve.<br/>
<br/>
“And I know there’s bound to be some great places for food hidden in the back streets – there always are in places like that – and if we go now, we’ll probably avoid long queues and get straight to eating – which’ll leave more time for us to browse.”<br/>
<br/>
And there was rationality to reel Akaashi in.<br/>
<br/>
“I wouldn’t have taken you for a man who needs to have his hand held,” Akaashi made one final attempt to dissuade him.<br/>
<br/>
“We can do that, too, if you like. No one’s going to see us between the shelves and stacks – except maybe the tomes.”<br/>
<br/>
Akaashi finally turned his feet so they pointed in the direction of the man, and he was facing him fully.<br/>
<br/>
“How many minutes are there remaining?”<br/>
<br/>
The man checked his watch.<br/>
<br/>
“Ten min – no – just turned nine.”<br/>
<br/>
The man looked back up, his grin widening a fraction, hands on his knees ready to push himself up off the stairs. Nine minutes wasn’t so long. Akaashi could easily wait it out and win the game.<br/>
<br/>
But starting their date early would be an even bigger win.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m Akaashi Keiji. Shall we go?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br/>
<br/>
“I think they might be leaving – together!”<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa glanced out of the window to find Iwaizumi walking down the steps to join Akaashi, and the two walking away, side by side. Iwaizumi was rubbing the back of his neck – it was so <em>cute</em> seeing him so nervous – and they were heading… towards the station. Which was strange, because why would they bother leaving this one when it already had everything they need for a date – but he would get the details later.<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa turned his attention to the man in front – his cap hiding the spiked hair and fashion glasses doing absolutely nothing to hide the bright gold eyes gleaming as he watched the scene; he suddenly threw himself against the back of his chair, sinking into his seat (presumably because their friends had disappeared into the station), a big sloppy smile plastered across his face.<br/>
<br/>
“I can’t believe your plan worked,” Bokuto said, a little breathless, like he had delved deep into a story and was now resurfacing. “I thought they’d walk away from each other, mad that their dates didn’t arrive! And then get mad at us for giving them bad descriptions. Or that they’d find out we set them up like this and then… get mad at us.”<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa tutted. “The plan was flawless, Bokkun, it’s why I proposed it.”<br/>
<br/>
“But wouldn’t it have been easier if they just met each other on time and left?”<br/>
<br/>
“Bokkun. Of course it’s <em>easier</em>, but if you’re expecting it, you don’t get that rush you do when meeting someone for the first time. This way they feel like they’ve met complete strangers, and they can see if they click without feeling like they have to. <em>We</em> know they’re a perfect match, but they’re too logical and that makes them oblivious to their own feelings.”<br/>
<br/>
“Akaashi’d definitely start overthinking,” Bokuto said with lots of nodding.<br/>
<br/>
“And Iwa-chan would completely misread the signs.”<br/>
<br/>
There was a moment’s silence as Bokuto processed the explanation. And in that moment, Oikawa revisited his brilliance.<br/>
<br/>
Having them meet half an hour apart, relying on Akaashi’s patient personality, was a good idea. Getting Bokuto to put a Godzilla key chain on Akaashi’s bag – custom made because Oikawa knew any merchandise Iwaizumi hadn’t seen before would be an instant attention-grabber – was a great idea.<br/>
<br/>
Turning Iwaizumi’s Godzilla figure collection into pet reptiles with special appearances by Mothra and Megalon as his side-collection of insects was <em>ingenious</em>. Add in Bokuto’s own descriptions of Iwaizumi (“he’s cute because he gets really excited about Godzilla and he owns the best T-shirts!”) and Oikawa knew even Akaashi’s keen mind wouldn’t be able to piece everything together.<br/>
<br/>
(Although Oikawa did help Iwaizumi with his clothes in the end; he wasn’t going to have him meet Akaashi – fashionable-without-being-consciously-aware Akaashi – in one of his T-shirts with a jacket thrown over the top, his definition of ‘smart’. On top of that, he was planning to wear his Converse, which would have been fine, if they weren’t the same pair he’d been wearing since <em>high school, </em>the rubber soles practically disintegrated, fabric tearing and frayed with actual <em>tape</em> wrapped around the left toe cap; Oikawa lent him the pair of shoes he had worn to visit him. Iwaizumi not only wore them well, but they fitted him perfectly despite his ‘significantly’ shorter height. It didn’t grate Oikawa at all. Not one bit.)<br/>
<br/>
And there was one other, selfish reason, but no one needed to know about that.<br/>
<br/>
“You’re right,” Bokuto said, a slower nod as though Oikawa had said something wise and he agreed with his every word.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m always right. Anyway – our work here is done, we’ve nearly finished our drinks, and I’m starting to get hungry. Do you want to go and get something to eat? I feel like… yakiniku.”<br/>
<br/>
Bokuto lit up, and Oikawa wondered how that was even possible when he was already so blinding. “That would be awesome! Let me see if there’s somewhere decent around here!” He pulled out his phone and started searching for their next location.<br/>
<br/>
Oikawa lifted his mug to hide the small curl of his lips and drained the last mouthful of his cold coffee.<br/>
<br/>
One matchmaking down, one more to go.</p>
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